The Gods of the Norma Arm
The universe is a very varied place, with many different beings believing that there are higher powers, deities that made, control, or just live in our universe. Here the Archivers will comply the different gods and religions existing in the Norma Arm. The Metamo Pantheon This religion, encompassing 15 major gods and 7 demigods, is an imported religion originally formed in the original local sector, and since our arrival to the Norma Arm and the discovery of Barysaes it has grown into an important belief in many spacefaring civilizations,. According to the lore, at first, only three deities, having always existed, decided to create a universe to dwell on. The first one, Starrii (The Goddess of Fate & the Soul), had the knowledge to create it, the second, Barysaes (The God of the Death, the Afterlife & Time), utilized his power to create it, and the third one, Meteo (The God of Matter & Antimatter) created the foundations of the universe. Unfortunately, when the cosmos was created, Meteo wanted to rule it, instead of simply living in it like the other gods did. A cruel fight between Starrii and Barysaes against Meteo took place, where the fiend lost so much of itself that 12 descendants were born from it. In the end, Meteo was banished into the void of space. The Descendants of Meteo, as the creations were called, remained by the sides of the winners, and became the rulers of the 12 types of matter created from the fiend. In the end, Barysaes and Starrii decided that in case the lesser gods planned a rebellion, or if Meteo returned, they created 7 beings out of stardust, the 7 Sages of Knowledge, to oversee the cosmos they created. The gods patronizing the religion and their main characteristics are these: Ayuighi'', the Hurricane Wind.' This goddess has adopted the shape of a gigantic storm of unparalleled fierceness, living in the still unexplored center of Yooj. This deity has the power of Air, having created the colossal atmosphere of Yooj when it was nothing but a barren and lifeless rock with a single blow. Ayuighi is also known to be as persevering as the storm it represents, keeping up even when all seems lost, although she is also known to be quite unforgiving and brutal. She is quite passive with mortals, but manifestations of her are nearly unheard of. 'Drayhe, the Great Sea Serpent''' This deity is usually regarded as a mile long aquatic serpent, living in the abysses of Oleana, where it’s usually sleeping and confused for the nearby underwater mountain ranges. This goddess controls Water in its liquid state, being responsible for the 2 world-spanning ocean of the planet it resides on, as well as having a hold on the weather. She is usually characterized by being even-tempered, with a passive attitude towards nearly everything and having nearly never been furious, although her brethren often regard her as very boring. She usually doesn’t manifest, preferring to sleep in the depths of the water. Ikrou, the Infernal Cyclops This fiery deity is known to be most of the times a medium sized cycloptic being composed of flames living in the fiery shores of the magma oceans of Firim. This god has the power over Fire and any kind of thermal energy, keeping the planet it lives on molten just by inhabiting it. Ikrou has been attributed to be the most courageous of all the gods, theoretically fearing nothing, although his brethren often disregard him due to his recklessness. He is one of the gods that interacts the most with mortals, usually trying to seduce members of his own gender, most of the times succeeding. Urhirin, the Reverberant Spirit This god usually becomes an invisible spirit, with only the musical sounds it makes while going through the caverns of Cavious. The deity is the master of Soil and any nonmetallic solid, having carved the planet it resides from a solid chunk of rock. Urhirin is characterized as being very endurant, most of the times representing the same fortitude that Caviousites are known for, albeit being thought to be very stubborn. He is also attributed to the creation of music by making the rocks he usually travels through as a spirit sound musically, although he rarely interacts with the people themselves. Ovoventr, the Metal Colossus This god, assuming it can even be called that, is said to take the form of an enormous automaton in the heart of Mekks, changing its appearance as a highly advanced robot for Wiralons, or appearing as an old wreck for the Mekkians. The deity is said to control Iron and any kind of solid metal or mineral, having helped in the designing and construction of Mekks, Wiral and Grannest, with the last 2 having been commissioned by other gods. They are usually described as being quite resourceful and imaginative, being capable of automating anything, but they can be easily distracted by almost any side project. They are said to manifest as an occasional bug in the code of the AIs of Mekks, known to appear as ‘050’ in the countable infinity that is their binary codes, helping the denizens of their planet. Yzillez, the Thunder Wraith The deity is said to manifest as a wraithlike ghost covered in sparks and the scars of lightning strikes, traveling throughout the many electric wires that cover Wiral from end to end. The god is said to embody Electricity and any kind of electric emission, powering the entirety of the planet it lives in, as well as having programmed the great Electro Brain. He is said to be very clever and a master of wit, having tricked (or rather, convinced) Ovoventr to build him the body at a bargain price, but he is usually regarded as cocky. He is said to manifest in the same manner as the Colossus, but instead of helping the denizens, he pulls pranks on the Wiralons. Udkeru, the Galaxial Tree This god is usually represented as a tree of galactic proportions, literally growing through countless different dimensions, creating giant and intriguingly-shaped plant matter. They are said to embody all types of plant life, with Wuud being just a minuscule section of itself having stuck to the visible trio of dimensions. They are said to be as patient as trees, although they can’t be hurried to do anything. The members of the religion say that Udkeru is always manifested as Wuud, yet no one has ever interacted with the god. Kolonya, the Universal Hive The deity is said to be Globin itself, a large colony of multiple and different lifeforms working together as a single being. They control Animals and any kind of non-photosynthetic life, having bred with itself to grow to planetary proportions, becoming the living body that is Globin. They are usually depicted as very cooperative, being able to work together with everyone, even when a being does not agree with them. To the followers of the religion, Kolonya is a case similar to Udkeru, always manifesting as the planet it resides on, and that no one has been known to communicate with the deity itself. Cadlier, the Star Sorcerer This goddess is usually represented as a humanoid entity bearing a large and luminous robe, usually with a scepter-like object grasped, floating in the skies of Lastar. She represents and dominates over Light and any kind of electromagnetic radiation, having created the wonder that is Lastar with the wake of just a single wave of her gigantic scepter. She is usually associated with integrity, with her being one of the gods that keeps peace if members of her brethren quarrel, although she openly hates Aesmakh. She is usually very elusive, but once found Cadlier can be friendly if the speaker is without malicious intent or wishes. Aesmakh, the Darkness Demon. The twin brother of Cadlier, this god is usually described as a dark humanoid being with large horns and bat-like wings flying in the wreckage located somewhere in the vortex that is Gigagush. He is the patron of Darkness, dark energy and gravity, having created Gigagush by the sheer force of his willpower. He is often viewed as the conscience of the pantheon, most of the times telling his brethren what can be seen as good and as bad, albeit he has admitted to despising Cadlier, and his advice might not be correct or wise if she’s in the way. He is usually hidden in the treacherous innards of the vortex, but once found, he can be very approachable and easy going, although he can retaliate if the speaker does harm to him. Fryktir, the Frost Giant One of the youngest, this deity is usually manifested as a large giant made out of snow and ice walking in the common blizzards of Freaze. She dominates Ice and sub-zero temperatures, having stolen Freaze from Drayhe’s patronizing by freezing the ocean that once covered it. She is usually represented as a cruel goddess, but with a very strong will that lets her impose herself at the level of the older gods, having created the giant Freazers with the same will. She usually remains dormant and lonely but can be approached if one is capable of surviving the ice storms she creates. Ausiri, the Toxic Illusionist One of the most singular deities and one of the youngest, this god is usually seen as a humanoid being with dark hair and revealing purple clothes that show a lot of pale skin on his body (save for his mouth), with his eyes looking like static with an ever so lighter shade of it acting as a pupil, usually being seen in the most polluted parts of Grannest without any protection. He controls Dust, or any kind of chemical that is harmful to life itself, having polluted the planet to steal it from the protection of Ovoventr. He is usually characterized as being very graceful, despite the fact that he can be very smug, and loves pulling pranks that can cause the death of the pranked. He is the god that has the highest number of manifestations, with almost everybody living in the contaminated parts of Grannest affirming having seen him. He is the most approachable god, being very easy to befriend, and some affirm that they were seduced by him, although his toxic nature caused poison-related health problems with them. The Seven Sages of Knowledge Along with Meteo, the beings known as the Sages are the only physical and proved members of the pantheon of the religion. These beings created from the same substance as the planet they live in are characterized as omniscient and nearly omnipotent, also known as the ‘Sevenfold Omnibenevolence’. They have been tasked as overseers of the universe, keeping the other twelve gods in check and staying on the lookout for the return of Meteo. Some scientific atheists claim that using their psychic powers, the Sages had made up the religion in nearly every planet when the races were nothing but mere animals. Meteo, the Fiendish Planet Along with the Sages, this body is one of the main pieces of evidence that followers of the religion use to assert their claims. Meteo is usually represented as a creator of all that is evil in the universe, wanting to rule the universe by itself rather than to let it develop, and when that plan failed, he became hellbent on the destruction of the cosmos it had contributed creating. Despite being just a fraction of what it had once been, the lore says it’s still extremely dangerous, and while there are times of peace, albeit few and far between, the planet’s aura can influence people into doing what Meteo knows is bad. The deity itself most of the times is just a scapegoat, something to curse to. Starrii, Mother Soul One of the most well-known deities of our time, Starrii is usually represented as an entity living in a giant statue of a humanoid woman in her homologous planet. She is usually represented as the mother of positivity, and it's said that she controls the Soul and fate of everyone in the galaxy, choosing when someone is born, how long they live, and when and how they die using silken cords made out of Soul Meteos. Starrii is also very known for supposedly giving prophetic dreams to the natives of her planet, all of them devoted to preserving the wellbeing of the goddess. Barysaes, Father Time By far one of the most mysterious and powerful gods of the religion, Barysaes is usually represented as a man of advanced age, usually wielding a wooden (or rather, something somewhat similar to wooden) hammer. He is the deity taking care of Time, justice and the Afterlife, with an iconic symbol being a balance made out of pure Time, where he puts the soul of the judged to weight. If their soul is light and the person has done little to no harm, the judged may reincarnate or move on into Heaven. If their soul is heavy with evil, the judged is sent for eternal punishment and into the hands of his 3 servants of Sin: Agra, Atiyha, and Alrins (Agony, Hatred and Insanity, respectively). For a long time, Barysaes had been the only god to not have a planet under his patronage, but recently, a pocket universe much like Starrii has been discovered (which has since been dubbed Barysaes) where natives similar to the Starrings live. Other Deities The belief of the Metamo gods is not the only worship in the Norma Arm. There are a plethora of other religions, as well as many minor gods that have been assimilated into the Metamo faith depending on the place. '''''Morteia, Mistress of the Afterlife Morteia represents the Metamo ideas of Heaven and Hell, and guides lost souls to the judgement of Barysaes. Some legends paint her as the thirteenth sibling of Meteo, others claim that she is the child of Ausiri and Aesmakh, but both tell of her as the ferrywoman of the dead, escorting the lighter souls to Heaven and punting the heavier ones down into Hell. An ancient interstellar cult revolves around her too, with its followers believing that worshipping her and performing acts that 'she would want' would lighten their souls, gaining them entry to Heaven. Beol'', the Mycelia''' This deity is thought to be the enormous fungal web covering a large fraction of Amarrhiza and its moon. According to the Amarrhzians, Beol is a gentle entity of immeasurable intelligence and wisdom, silently contemplating the meaning of Life, a task he challenged itself millenia ago. The natives of his planet claim that they can connect with Beol through the mycelia. '''''The Dark One Referring to the entity Laquers refer as the one living in the core of their nebula, the Dark One is said to be the Darkness and Chaos, a primordial entity from before the universe. Tales of brave explorers that venture deep inside the Lac speak of visions of sunken cities, and a tentacled aberration watching from within. Its cult is very obscure, as not only are their followers incredibly difficult to find in the clouds of the nebula, but they're also very secretive, and their rite are said to be very disturbing to the outside observer. Eche'', the Drowned Ghost''' According to local folklore in Stenephenes, she was a very good leader of her tribe, making wise decisions and somehow always guessing where would water be. But she caught attention of the Sekhani tribe, and they locked her up in a flooding well while a supplanter masqueraded as her. But as she died, the gods felt pity on her, and transformed her into a godly being of the afterlife. Due to her technically dead status, she couldn't physically interact with her species, but she guides their spirits to heaven, and their living to water. There are many shrines of her in the chasms of her planet. Fjäla, the Butterfly Thought to be in a deep slumber in the depths of Fjäla's Grotto, she is usually represented as a female humanoid with butterfly wings, or as a swarm of the natives of her Grotto. She is considered to be the goddess of retribution and karma, giving evildoers a taste of their own medicine, and controlling the Butterfly Effect. Madak, the Madness Being a minor deity of the Metamo Pantheon, his god is usually believed to manifest as a small green star, turning orange when angered or saddened, although tales represent him as an insectoid humanoid. In his lore, this deity was tasked to craft the minds of living beings; but in a fit of anger, he planted negative and irrational thoughts in the brains, with his most heinous crime being the complete loss of sapience: madness. Due to his failure at his job, he was imprisoned by the rest of gods into a glassy prison, which is thought to be Madak Sohl. The beat of the quartz heart of that planet is thought to be Madak pounding at the walls of his prison. '''''The Music Not really a god, but rather a belief or a philosophy. Malisaxers consider that music was a gift given to them by the dead, to keep the living happy instead of being sad at the passing away of friends. As such, playing music is considered sacred, or at least a very important activity to Malisaxers. Sehmibri, the Creator of Sound Currently locked in the planet Qhavi, Sehmibri is thought to be the origin of sound itself, unleashing a screech into the vacuum of space and causing ripples in space-time. The rest of the pantheon, evidently tired from the ruckus caused simply by her existence, sealed her away in a barren planet, which, millennia later, became home to a civilisation. Legends referring to Sehmibri were most likely created by the peculiar sound emanating from the innards of the planet. Qhavic scribes would've supposedly then built up the story of a five-storey tall woman who created sound and laid at rest in the core of Qhavi, becoming the goddess of sound and music. Niir, the Architect One of the few deified historical figures, Niir was the person who designed the cover of Tràntr, and the one who supervised its construction. It's also known that she was a genius, and had an implant that could hack any machine to do her bidding. She has been patronised as the one to initiate Tràntrian spacefaring expansion, and has been worshipped since as a demigoddess of machines and science. Niitia, the Fallen Adjudicator Formerly the Goddess of Justice, Niitia became overtly aggressive in her pursuit of what she eventually saw as justice in a corrupted sense, deviating from her original purpose. After a climactic battle with Fjäla, she was defeated and bound to a planet, which became barren and steeped in her essence. The world of Celesylvania orbits this planet, and a major part of its population has seemingly become corrupted by her presence. These Niitites do her malicious will by attacking other places known for being associated with deities by portals, and ultimately seek a way to release her from her prison. Other Celesytes revere her as she once was, a seeker of real justice, and seek the truth. Nub and Gran, the Two Described usually as a large amphibian and a large bird, the Two are the symbiosis made by Gran, the god of marshes and Nub, the god of clouds, respectively. In their lore, they had always been rivals, until one day, they both saved each other's lives during a volcanic eruption, with the bird Nub helping Gran flee the lava by flying away, and Gran using their tongue to save Nub from a hot geyser. After that, they both settled their differences and used both their powers to cool the lava and banish the forces of fire into the earth. And since then, they have become partners, with their descendants, the Pantalans and the Nuvosians representing their alliance. The Sekhani Tribe, the Conqueror Tribe Found in many mythologies that have encountered the Sekhayan Empire, these aren't gods per sé, but are instead a small population of demons living in the Underworld. They're usually described as long and skeletal, with horrifying masks instead of faces and 4 poison tipped red horns. The description varies, but their intention is to conquer the living world, with many other deities stopping their attempts. Syroqe, the Old Desert According to Arrakerites, Syroqe is the Sun of Arrakeron, represented as a large snake, each day protecting the planet from the Sekhani. He is said to have created the large megafauna from his shedding scales, and to be the father of all the Arrakerites. His religion makes each believer to find a calling, which many Arrakerites wander the universe looking for theirs. Tyranyr, the Saurian Also called the Four Horned Tyrant, this deity is a destructive god of fire and the wild, represented as an enormous reptile, with a large fire breathing mouth, tree like legs, obsidian tipped talons, six fiery eyes, and surprisingly short arms. Its said by the Saurettes that he willed their planet into existence by anger alone. He is said to reside in a large volcano in the wild half of the planet, brooding. Xivana, the Hopeful Blossom Worshipped greatly by the ancient Perlettians, Xivana is a minor goddess of hope and peace, but that's all the information about her that's truly consistent. The seven sects of Perlettian society all believed in a different form of Xivana, and represented her in a different way with a different personality and appearance. Religious conflicts over the goddess soon led to the great Perlettian War that destroyed the planet- ironically, what the goddess of peace would have wanted the least. Though most aspects about her vary from writing to writing and artpiece to artpiece, she is consistently represented by an eight-petaled flower. It may never be known what Xivana's "true" form is. More info is to be added soon, as more planets are discovered alongside their respective deities.